This invention relates generally to electron guns, and, more particularly to an electron gun which is capable of producing a large output with reduced volume and being extremely lightweight so as to be easily incorporated within a laser system.
An electron gun is a device capable of producing a continuous of pulsed stream of electrons. Since the advent of the electric discharge or electro-dynamic laser, the electron gun has found increased utility in the laster field. Conventional high voltage electron guns or vacuum electron guns are generally large in volume and consequently quite heavy due to the large vacuum separation which is required between the cathode and vacuum enclosure in order to stand off the high voltage on the cathode.
Unfortunately size and weight are essential limitations in the construction of lasers. Since conventional high voltage vacuum electron guns are both large in size and extremely heavy in weight, substantial usage of, for example, electro-dynamic lasers has been subsequently limited. It is therefore essential to provide, not only in the laser field, but in any other field in which the emission of electrons is necessary, to produce an electron gun which is also of low volume and light weight construction.